SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ via Individual Inc.
SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: SCLN), an international
biopharmaceutical company, today reported that its lead product,
ZADAXIN(R) thymosin alpha 1, achieved strong results in a hepatitis
C trial led by Dr. Guido Rasi of the Institute of Experimental
Medicine in Rome. A report on the trial appears in the current
issue of Gut, the journal of the British Society of
Gastroenterology. Fifteen patients with chronic hepatitis C were
enrolled in the trial. All patients enrolled had biopsy confirmed
chronic hepatitis, raised alanine transaminase (ALT) values equal
to or greater than 1.5 times the upper normal limit, positive serum
hepatitis C virus ("HCV RNA") by polymerase chain reaction ("PCR")
testing, and compensated liver disease. Thirteen patients had HCV
RNA genotype 1b which in published reports on the treatment of
hepatitis C is often associated with cirrhosis, liver cancer and a
poor response to treatment with single agent alpha interferon,
currently the only FDA approved therapy for chronic hepatitis C.
The patients in Rasi's trial received a combination of
lymphoblastoid alpha interferon and thymosin alpha 1 therapy for
one year and were followed for an additional six months. The
treatment protocol included a "loading dose" of thymosin alpha 1
(1.0 mg subcutaneously) for four consecutive days, followed on the
fourth day by the first interferon injection (three million units).
For the next 51 weeks, the patients received 1.0 mg of thymosin
alpha 1 twice weekly, and three million units of interferon three
times per week. A response to treatment was defined at 12 months as
a negative serum HCV RNA by PCR. A sustained response was defined
as a negative serum HCV RNA by PCR six months after completion of
treatment. After six months of treatment, 47 percent of the
patients were found to be HCV RNA negative. After one year of
treatment, 73 percent of the patients were HCV RNA negative. After
the six month follow-up period, 40 percent of the patients showed a
sustained response to treatment and continued to be HCV RNA
negative. Among the HCV genotype 1b patients, 69 percent were HCV
RNA negative after one year of treatment with 39 percent exhibiting
sustained response after the six-month follow-up. "These trial
results, both the response to treatment and sustained response
rates, are very exciting, particularly the difficult to treat
genotype 1b response rates," said Donald R. Sellers, President and
Chief Executive Officer of SciClone Pharmaceuticals. "These results
support our belief that thymosin alpha 1 has significant potential
as a treatment for chronic hepatitis C." ZADAXIN, SciClone's lead
product, is a synthetically produced peptide that the Company
believes stimulates the immune system's disease-fighting
properties. ZADAXIN clinical trials continue to support the safety
and efficacy of the treatment. In addition to being investigated as
a possible treatment for hepatitis C, ZADAXIN is being investigated
as a potential treatment for HIV and has been cleared for marketing
in several countries as a treatment for hepatitis B.

The statements made in this press release contain certain
forward-looking statements, including conclusions regarding the
results of clinical studies and the potential of thymosin alpha 1,
that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or
results may differ from the Company's expectations. In addition to
the matters described in this release, future actions by the Food
and Drug Administration or equivalent regulatory authorities in
foreign countries, results of pending or future clinical trials, as
well as the risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's
SEC reports, including but not limited to its Annual Report on Form
10-K, may affect the actual results achieved by the Company.
SciClone Pharmaceuticals is an international biopharmaceutical
company engaged in the acquisition, development and
commercialization of pharmaceuticals worldwide. SciClone's focus is
on therapeutics for diseases that are chronic and life-threatening,
including hepatitis B and C, immune system disorders and cancer.
SOURCE SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. /CONTACT: Mark Culhane, Chief
Financial Officer of SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 415-358-3456/
(SCLN) CO: SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. ST: California IN: MTC SU:
PDT CW-KL -- LATH025 -- 9219 12/19/96 09:00 EST
http://www.prnewswire.com [12-19-96 at 12:00 EST, PR Newswire]